Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

Go a little wild …

Animal prints are kind of the wilder cousin of the L.B.D. aren’t they?
 
Just as every woman needs a great little black dress, you also need that go-to, goes-with-everything animal print something.
 
 
Maybe it’s a skirt, a fun pair of shoes,
 
 
a classic sheath,

 
or a big scarf …
 
 
… none of these things will ever go out of style and they just seem to inject a little fun into any outfit or wardrobe.
  
Similarly in our homes, a little animal print seems to work with any color scheme and any type of decor.  From modern …
 
Elle Decor



to traditional …
Suzanne Kasler


 
…it’s typically the most fun thing in the room, adding an element of youth and luxury.

Elle Decor
 
Like a great pair of shoes, a pair of leopard print pillows can really add a little wow to your look.



via House of Fifty
Decorpad
Theresa Meyers Interiors
 
 
Houzz

Wanting to add a little wow to the trampoline, er, … old sofa in our family room, I decided to get myself a great pair of leopard print pillows.

Of course, I found them at my go-to source for pillows, Etsy … in a wonderful little pillow shop called ArianaBelle.

They are made of a super soft cotton velvet and totally make me swoon.

I decided to pair them with a simple ivory linen pillow (also from her shop) with a great black grosgrain ribbon detail.

On a big sectional I think it’s fun to have a mix of pillows and prints.
 

 
 
Of course, something like this can look nice too.
 
 
At least my son thinks so.
 

Shades of Gray …

No, not that kind of Grey … I’m talking paint.

 
I’m looking for the perfect shade of gray for my dining room. Something light with a little bit of blue in it. There are lots of options. I thought it would be easy.
 
But blue-gray can be tricky.
 
Or so I’m learning.
 
I narrowed it down to 3 by Benjamin Moore.
 
 
Pretty, right?
Feather Gray, Metallic Silver and Pelican Gray.
 
They all look fairly similar, don’t they? I thought one of them had to be perfect.
 
Here’s what they look like in the can.
 
 
Almost white! What?
 
But then on the wall …
 
 
… they all look blue … powder blue, baby blue and periwinkle blue.
 
I want a tinge of blue … but not a blue room.
 
So, I had also brought home a bunch of gray paint squares from Benjamin Moore’s Affinity Collection … but I didn’t really think any of them would work. They were too dark gray or green gray or blah-gray. None of them seemed to have my blue “tinge.”
 
But I taped the Eternity square up on the wall …
 
 
 
… and you know what? I think it might be perfect!
 
In the store, in my car, laying on my table … I just wasn’t feelin’ it. But on my wall, in that room … it somehow transforms into the perfect shade of blue-gray.
 
I think I have a winner!
 
So, the moral of this story:
 
1. Always, always, test a color in the room you plan to paint.
 
2. A little blue goes a long way … in my experience with this and other blue paints … the shade of blue always is more intense on the wall. 
 
3. Unless you are you’ve got a gray with warm undertones, grays can take on a bluish-tinge in certain light.
 
4.If you’re looking for a pale blue … check out some of the gray swatches. You might be surprised to find a perfect blue that’s not too bright.
 
 
 
Unfortunately, my dear hubby, who was going to paint this room, broke a rib last week.
 
Poor guy … my painting project may be on hold for a little while.
 
 

My crush on a chair …

… I’ve had it for awhile now and the attraction is real.
Everytime I see these Louis XVI-style round back dining chairs, my heart goes a-flutter.

via Sherry Hart Designs

via Decorpad

via Decorpad
 
 
 I love that they provide a round, curvy element amidst a dining room of sharp angled tables and buffets.
 
Traditional Dining Room design by New York Interior Designer AMI Designs

And I love their vintage look … yet they still seem to remain timeless.

Like any schoolgirl crush, I often wondered if I’d ever really be able to get know them …or if I would have to always admire them from afar.

Happily, this weekend, 4 of them came to live with me!

(We are in the process of a mini-dining room makeover … new chairs and new paint, so this is just a little preview.)

 
After looking and comparing at several different places, I decided on the Vintage French Round chairs from Resoration Hardware. I’m in love with their linen upholstery and the gray weathered wood.
 
So those are my new side chairs. I think it will be a long and meaningful relationship!
 
And for the end chairs I picked these tufted beauties from Arhaus.

 
Tufted + Wingback + Nailhead Trim = Perfect chair for me.

 
The fabric is a wonderful smokey blue grey linen.

 
Next up choosing a paint color … I’m leaning towards a pale gray with a tinge of blue …

 
… and I may look into refinishing the table with a lighter, more natural stain.
 
What do you think?

 
P.S.  If anyone is interested in my old dining room chairs … they are in great condition and super comfortable.
 

 
Contact me if you’re interested!
 


 

This is why we’ve been married 14 years …

… because even after all this time, he’ll go along with my requests to visit my favorite design stores in the city when we head down for a 24 hour anniversary getaway …

(the new … and 4x the size Painted Lady on Grand Ave.! Swoon!)
 

Artemsia

State Street Salvage (love those chain lamp bases!)

Vintage movie reels turned wine storage?
… and because on a Sunday morning, he’ll walk around Randolph Street Market in the rain with me carrying this big heavy wooden bowl I wanted to buy.
 
 
 
And because he took me out to the restaurant I’ve been trying to get into for 3 years …
 
 
(It was worth the wait!)
 
 

 
And because we’ve chatted over our morning coffee … or bottles of wine … more times than I can even calculate …
 
 
Sometimes it’s nice to act like the couple we were 14 years ago …
 
 
While still appreciating all that 14 years together brings.